Essex County holds emergency order

October 31, 2012

Essex County officials have opted to leave an emergency order issued Monday in advance of Hurricane Sandy in place until it expires.

Jay town Supervisor Randy Douglas, chairman of the Essex County Board of Supervisors, told the Enterprise early Tuesday morning that it appeared likely the emergency order, which was issued Monday morning, would be rescinded after a 10 o'clock meeting. But officials decided to keep the order in effect, Douglas said.

"We decided we're going to (leave it in place) in case anything happens," he said. "There's no problem with leaving it in place, so we're just going to let it ride out for five days."

The order will now expire at 9 a.m. Friday, according to Douglas.

Forecasters said Tuesday that the worst of the storm was over, although rain is expected to continue throughout the rest of the week.

Franklin County's emergency order was lifted at noon Tuesday.

The county closed its Emergency Operations Center in Lewis, which opened on Monday, after it became clear that the storm didn't pose a significant threat to Essex County.

"We find ourselves in a very fortunate position given the power outages and road closures we anticipated and the impact of the storm on other areas of New York State and neighboring states," Essex County Emergency Services Director Don Jaquish said in a press release.

Patty Bashaw, who managed the EOC, thanked the staff that manned the center.

"This was not a wasted effort," she said in the release. "Our response to Sandy allowed us to mobilize as trained and practice for future inevitable emergencies."

A Red Cross shelter at the town of Jay Community Center in AuSable Forks also closed Tuesday afternoon.